Ann Downer (1960–2015)

A very fun, lighthearted story. I enjoyed it- actually laughed out loud quite a few times, I thought the wordplay and world building were delightful, though not too complex. It has shifting viewpoints- each chapter or part of a chapter- but all linear in timeline and not hard to follow. The main protagonist is Theodora, whose father has left her in charge of the housekeeper/nanny while he is traveling, away on a scientific expedition. Theodora is resentful and bored being left behind, show more especially because her two best friends are away for the summer too. But things soon get more exciting that she'd ever wished for, when a small dragon shows up in her neighborhood. It's a wyvern, a small type of dragon that in this case was the pet of a court magician- back in medieval times. The wyvern was looking for a safe, secluded place to lay her egg in, and went through a magical bolthole that made her time-travel. Her wizard Gideon soon followed after, very anxious to get her back because he has a rival also looking for the wyvern. This evil wizard, with an enslaved demon in tow as his assistant, is bent on catching the wyvern first, because he can use it against our young 'good' wizard. So Gideon stumbles into the twenty-first century baffled by all the modern technological gadgets and things- which he perceives as some advanced form of magic- but luckily he encounters a historian on the university grounds who also happens to be a wizard, and takes him under his wing, so to speak. Together they try to pinpoint where the wyvern is hiding, thwart the other wizard, and get ahold of a magical object which Gideon has lost.

It's got a bit more going on than that- there's mention of other types of dragons, and one shows up when a summoning spell goes wrong. There are magic tarot cards, the other wizard's slave is not at all happy with her job and keeps getting distracted by irrelevant things, and Theodora wants to make a discovery of her own, just like her father is off doing in the jungle. The wyvern for her part, is seeking a safe nesting spot and discovers how wonderful chocolate is, which has some repercussions (if you care to look at it that way) for her hatchling. It all wraps up rather suddenly in the end, with a nice resolution but also an oddly interjected comment from one wizard to another that lets the reader know something perilous is going to come through the bolthole in future and they'd better prepare. Setup for a sequel! show less

This is one of those books that I, personally, want so badly to recommend to readers but I'm skeptical of finding anyone willing (or able) to read it. But I just couldn't bear to let it go (that's my excuse for keeping it a week....or two...overdue anyways)

Downer explores not only the intelligence of invertebrates, including current research, she also discusses what it means to be smart and how scientists are changing the measurements. Worms, spiders, octopuses, bees and wasps, ants, mantis show more shrimps, box jellyfish and slime molds are separated into chapters. Each starts with a set of basic facts about the animal - its common and scientific name, relatives, habitat and habits, and brain size, if measured. The book is prefaced with a discussion of intelligence in vertebrates and invertebrates and finishes with an overview of several invertebrates possibly intelligent behavior and why it matters. Detailed source notes, glossary, bibliography, and extensive further information on each creature featured is included in the back matter.

The book includes a rich treasure trove of photographs, additional information, historical details and context, and references to current research into intelligent behaviors. With all of this awesomeness, who would NOT want this book? Well, there are two drawbacks. First, the type is pretty small. It's a normal size for an adult nonfiction title, plus being broken up with the photographs and additional information, but a lot of kids will flick books open, see the small type, and not even try. Secondly, this is from an imprint of Lerner that is super expensive - over $20. It's hard to convince myself to shell out that much for a book that is not going to fly off the shelves.

Verdict: But....it's soooo good! Informative, beautifully written, fascinating....I think I'm going to splurge on it and put extra effort into convincing kids to give it a try. Middle school is the most likely audience, since it's a challenging read but overall a slim volume under 100 pages.

ISBN: 9781467737395; Published 2015 by Twenty-First Century Books/Lerner; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

First, a slight digression. There's nothing in this book about Ann Downer's fantasies, but....I would really, really, really like to see another Theodora book. Please? Ok, back to elephants. I know I said I was going to buy mainly sports books this year, but somebody asked for elephant books and I suddenly realized we only had a couple books on elephants - all but one icky and outdated. So I decided I really needed to look at elephant books and this one definitely stands out!

The story of show more elephant communication and research is introduced with some brief anecdotes of elephants in the wild and zoos, and an overview of elephants in history, their current endangered status, and how learning about their communication may help. Further information on different elephant species and the evolution of elephants is also included. The six chapters of the book cover basic elephant social structure and anatomy, and detailed explanations of how elephants communicate.

But this book is about more than just the sounds elephants make and the herds they create. It's a fascinating look into how large-brained mammals form social ties and interact in a group. There are profiles of various scientists who have investigated different areas of elephant behavior and animal communication, and even several discussions of how elephant and human social connections are similar. I'm thinking someone should have a "bull elephant" group for guys to mentor teen boys...

Excellent sources, a glossary of elephant sounds, suggestions for ways to help elephants indirectly and directly, and an extensive bibliography and reading/website list finish off the story of elephant communication and society. Ann Downer's writing is clear and has a good balance of science facts, research, and stories to hold the reader's interest.

Verdict: This is an excellent middle grade book on elephants with general and historical information added to the specific topic of communication so you could easily make this your one elephant book for older grades. My one complaint has nothing to do with the text....but the binding. This is a perennial complaint of mine. Expensive library bound nonfiction may have been a good idea fifty years ago, but the rapid changes in scientific knowledge and lower circulation of nonfiction (at least in my library) all mean that I'm reluctant to shell out $30 for a library bound book I may need to update in another five years. I'm very frustrated that so many excellent nonfiction publishers offer their books only in library bound and occasionally paperback, which I'm not really supposed to buy. Trade binding please!

ISBN : 9780761357667; Published March 1, 2011; Review copy provided by Lerner through NetGalley; Would like to purchase for my library, but it's too pricey for my budget. show less

Cute, nothing great. Multiple threads come together rather abruptly, and after the deep knowledge of what the various individuals were thinking and feeling as well as saying and doing, the climactic scenes are a bit sketchy. There's several clever bits to the story - the girl obsessed with an animated show about wyverns getting tangled with real wyverns, and a lot of other magic. Chocolate, and some serious consequences. Odd that some magically-useful species have gone extinct, if wormholes show more to the past are easy and stable... It's clearly setting up a series, with a hidden Big Bad; there is, apparently, another book, and I'll keep an eye out for it - might be worth reading. But I'm not particularly excited about it. show less